


Island Boy.

by heyitsnxel



Series: 30 Trope Prompts. [10]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: First Meeting, M/M, deserted island
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-20 20:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14901855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitsnxel/pseuds/heyitsnxel
Summary: “If you could only bring one thing to a deserted island, what would you bring?”One of the most used icebreakers and ‘get to know you’ questions that ever existed. Phil had never truly sat down and thought about it, because why should he? He’d never be stranded on an island, right?





	Island Boy.

**Author's Note:**

> day 10: deserted island AU
> 
> [I ended up liking the idea of this more than I thought, so I’m probably going to end up writing a few other parts later.]

_“If you could only bring one thing to a deserted island, what would you bring?”_

 

One of the most used icebreakers and ‘get to know you’ questions that ever existed. Never once did Phil think it would ever matter. So whenever anyone asked the question during a party game or at a pub, his answers were always silly things like a boat or a bag of Haribo, maybe even a classic Stephen King novel so he wouldn’t get bored.

 

He had never truly sat down and thought about it, because why should he? He’d never be stranded on an island, right?

 

**Wrong.**

 

It felt like a one in a million situation, something that only happened in movies or books. Not something that would happen to him.

 

Yet, here he sat, letting the sand run through the cracks between his fingers and wondering what the hell he was actually supposed to do. It had only been a day since the boat he was on crashed, cracking straight down the middle, like a less dramatic version of that scene from Titanic. It was just a passenger boat, after all. No lavish dining rooms or chandeliers.

It was simply a boat to take people to and from where they needed to go. In this case, it was taking a small group of marine biologists out towards some coral reefs. Phil was no marine biologist. He wasn’t even technically supposed to be there, which only made this whole situation seem crueler. The leader of the group had snagged him up last minute, sending a frantic email to request that he come and document it ‘for science!’

 

The pay was high. The idea seemed fun. Plus, he’d basically get to see all the cool stuff National Geographic film makers got to see in person (sort of).

He definitely regretted agreeing now.

 

The rest of the group was gone. He wasn’t going to assume they were dead, because that was morbid and would just make him depressed, but… He couldn’t say they were alive either. He definitely could say they weren’t on this island.

 

Phil had woken up soaking wet, covered in sand, and alone.

And, that’s how he’d remained for the last 24-ish hours.

 

His body was caked with sand, damp clothing clinging unpleasantly to his skin. There was large gash down his left arm that he wasn’t exactly sure what caused and an abundance of bruises everywhere else. All in all, this whole situation was just a huge disaster… Obviously.

 

The only positive thing in the whole situation, aside from Phil not dying which arguably could be a negative thing at this point, was that his adrenaline fueled mind had grabbed his backpack on the way down. Contents including:

 

_An extra pair of clothes._

_A bottle of water._

_A granola bar that had probably been in the bag for months._

_A towel._

_And, ironically, a now water damaged copy of Misery by Stephen King._

 

Phil stared at everything lying on the beach with a sigh,

“Ah good, at this rate… I’ll die in like a week.”

 

 

“More like a few days and even that’s being generous.”

 

Phil nearly jumped out of his skin, toppling over into the sand only to end up in a coughing fit from inhaling it. The stranger found this especially hilarious, throwing their head back in a burst of laughter that scared the seagulls poking around near the waves to the sky.

 

There were only two options here. _One_ , Phil had hit his head and was now hallucinating someone. Or, _two_ , there actually was another person on this island. He was seriously praying it was the latter – and, that they weren’t a cannibal of any kind.

 

“But, seriously, you’re going to die in like a few days if this is all you have.”

 

The sun was at their back, making it impossible for Phil to look at them without squinting. So, for now, whoever they were just looked like a human shaped shadow. They had dropped down to pick up Phil’s things, carefully tucking them all back in the backpack like they were made of glass.

 

“Come on. If you lay on the beach all day you’ll get sun poisoning and trust me, you do _not_ want that.”

 

Contradictory to how they loaded the backpack, they swung it over their shoulder without a care in the world. Next thing Phil new, a firm grip was around his hand and he was being yanked to his feet. He yelped in surprise, earning a calmer laugh from the other.

 

“Uh, what? Am I hallucinating or is this happening?”  _Nice going, Phil. That’s the first thing you’re going to say?_

 

“As far as I know, I’m real. If I think about it too much, I start to get existential though. So let’s avoid the topic and agree that we are both very much real. I’m Dan. You’re um…” Dan paused, flipping the tag on the backpack over, eyes roaming it quickly. Phil wondered why that, of all things, was waterproof.  “You’re Philip. We’re both very much real and very much the only people here.”

 

Phil took the time Dan was talking to finally properly look at the other boy. He was young, maybe even younger than Phil, with a head full of messy curls – coated with salt water and sand. From head to toe, he was only wearing a pair of black and grey swimtrunks and a frayed piece of cord tied around his left ankle.  While Phil was wearing a pair of cheap plastic sandals, Dan was barefoot and unfazed by the sticks and shells he was leading Phil through once they passed the edge of the trees.

 

“Just Phil is fine.” He mumbled. “Where are we going?”

 

“My place.” Dan stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, not even looking back as he spoke.

 

“Your place? Like on the island?”

 

This time Dan did stop, turning around to look at Phil with the most confused expression he had ever witnessed.

“Uh… Yeah? On the island.”

 

His eyes had narrowed, giving Phil a quick once over, before turning back around to walk again. This whole encounter was beginning to get stranger and stranger.

“Why do you have a place on the island?”

 

“Why were you washed up on the beach?”

 

Dan avoided the question with a question of his own, hopping over a section of exposed tree roots as he did so. Phil, not so gracefully, followed suit.

 

“The boat I was on crashed into something and, tada, I ended up here.”

 

Dan hummed, continuing on in silence. Phil’s bag swung from his shoulder with every step he took as he maneuvered around every rock, every branch, literally everything that was in his path without even a second thought. It was graceful, every step intentional; Like he had walked this path every day for years.

Phil tripped along behind him, almost squirming from the lack of conversation. Hesitancy was creeping into his mind the further into the trees they walked. This guy, Dan, could really be about to murder him or something and Phil was just happily following along. He could be walking to his own death, like a lamb to the slaughter.

 

* * *

 

Phil was so lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t even realized Dan had stopped walking. He crashed right into the brunette’s back, stumbling back while Dan remained perfectly still. He only glanced at Phil with a slightly amused expression before pushing aside a handful of leaves and ushering Phil forward.

 

He was expecting another path. He was expecting almost anything except what he saw. Covered by canvas tarps as opposed to actual roofs and connected via rope bridge, three small treehouses hung over head. The whole ground around them was cleared, nothing but the soft sand from the beach, and lined with a border of rocks. There was a small path behind the three that clearly was man made, but it was impossible to tell where it was leading to.

 

Phil’s eyes widened, stammering out a completely nonsensical sentence; A combination of awe, hunger, and exhaustion, making his brain slow to function. He could hear his words slurring as the edges of his vision started to fade to black. Oh no, he was passing out.

 

The weight of his body started to crumple to the ground and the last thing he remembered was the feeling of someone’s arms there, preventing it from happening.

 

* * *

 

Waking up to the sounds of waves was rather pleasant. They were rhythmic enough to almost lull Phil back to sleep, the darkness from outside almost being the deciding factor, until he realized what had happened; That caused him to jolt up in the cot he was laying on, the sheet that was covering him falling to the floor.

 

“Hi.”

 

Phil whipped his head towards the sound of the voice, eyes falling on Dan. He was sitting on the floor, back against the wall, twirling Phil’s bottle of water around in his hands.

 

“You should drink this.” Tossing the bottle in Phil’s direction, he got up and walked out the open doorframe. “Be right back.”

 

With that, he disappeared across the rope bridge into the treehouse nextdoor. Phil tipped the water back, scanning the room as he did so. It was small, obviously, filled with nothing but the cot he was laying on and a small table next to it. There was a jar of seashells on the floor almost filled to the brim and an empty basket next to the door Dan left out of. But, what caught his attention the most was the tally marks.

The wall behind where Dan was sitting previously was covered in lines of tally marks. A lot of them from what Phil could tell. They were carved into the wood, ranging in depth, from a scratch to deep enough to disappear into the wall completely. He eased his way out of the bed, stumbling as he walked over to them.

His fingers lifted, tracing over them slowly. Of course, that was when Dan decided to come back. He stood in the door wide eyed, with a banana in one hand and, to Phil’s surprise, a plate holding a charred fish on the other. He opened his mouth to ask how, but Dan simply nodded out the door towards the fire crackling below.

 

“Uh… Here, you need to eat. That’s part of the reason why you passed out.”

 

“What are these for?”

 

It was almost rude for him to come into Dan’s space and question things but, he couldn’t help it. His curiosity was getting the better of him. So, he peeled the banana, eyebrow raised in Dan’s direction. He saw the hesitation flash through his eyes, watching as he caught his bottom lip between his teeth.

 

“I’m counting.” Dan finally decided on, dropping his eyes to the floor.

 

It seemed like the vaguest answer possible and Phil was almost sure that was all he was going to get until Dan slipped onto the ground next to him, lifting Phil’s arm that had been cut into his hands. He hadn’t noticed that it was bandaged until now. Dan must have done it while he was passed out. He pulled the bandage back with a sigh.

 

“The deeper ones are when people are here. The lighter ones are when I’m alone.”

 

He tugged Phil’s arm up to eye level, running a cloth over top of the cut. Phil hissed, instinctively jerking his arm away. But, Dan’s grip held tight, and he looked at him apologetically.

 

“Just saltwater. So it doesn’t get infected.”

 

Phil looked towards the wall in an attempt to hide his pain, plus it gave him an excuse to look closer at the tallies. The deep marks were few and far between, almost completely surrounded by the lighter ones. Had he really been alone out here that long? That didn’t make sense.

 

“Why are you even here?”

 

Twirling the bandage back around Phil’s arm, Dan sighed. He stood up and walked back to the door without a second glance.

 

“Go to the right if you need me. The left is empty. Not many animals come out this way, but I still wouldn’t go down unless you have to. Which I don’t see why you would.” He paused again, tugging a hand through his hair with a deeper sigh. “Someone will find you soon. I know you’re worried about being stuck here.”

 

And with that, he was gone. Phil watched his figure retreat across the bridge into the treehouse next door, a curtain falling over the doorway as soon as he stepped inside.

 

* * *

 

It seemed no one was keen on getting Phil anytime soon. It had been almost a week since Dan had said that and despite Dan's constant reassurance, Phil was still here. There had been no boats passing by, no planes above. It was just him, Dan, and whatever non-humans lived on the island.

 

If Phil were being honest, he didn’t entirely hate it here. Would he want to stay here forever? No way. But, the past few days weren’t as bad as he anticipated. And that was solely thanks to Dan.

 

Everything Dan did was intriguing to Phil. Phil had realized how incredibly smart Dan was on the first day he followed him around the island. He constantly stopped, pointing out different plants to Phil before telling him what they were, what they did, and if they would kill him or not.

 

_‘Just in case you ever get shipwrecked again.’ He said, letting the berries he had just picked fall to the ground. Phil watched them roll away._

_‘Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.’_

_‘Hah. Yeah.’_

 

He showed him how he made animal traps, how he filtered the water he drank, how he managed to cook fish over an open flame without burning them to a crisp. That last one had taken Phil a few tries, much to Dan’s chagrin, but the genuine look of pride that crossed Dan’s face when he finally did it was priceless.

 

But, despite all this, Dan was excellent at avoiding things. He was almost as good at living on the island as he was avoiding telling Phil why he was there in the first place.

 

Dan had a younger brother. He’d told him that on the second morning when Phil had sleepily mumbled something about missing his brother’s birthday. He said it casually, tracing a sad face in the sand with his finger before swiping it away. Phil knew better than to question any further. But it just raised more questions in his mind. Where was he if Dan was here?

 

The things Phil found lying around were also beginning to seem odd. Amidst Dan’s homemade items were things that could be found in most people’s homes. Real pots and pans, an old scribbled in notebook that Dan had quickly snatched away from him, an empty bottle of super glue, a large plastic bin, a pair of flashlights- batteries dead. It all seemed so common, yet… not, at the same time.

 

Dan had shrugged off Phil’s questions, not even bothering with excuses. He just simply refused to answer them. Which was his prerogative and totally fair, but it was driving Phil insane.

 

* * *

 

It was late in the afternoon when Dan called him over. They had spent most of the day talking after Phil discovered Dan had never heard of Netflix in his life.

 

_“What do you mean you haven’t heard of Netflix?!”_

 

_Dan had laughed half-heartedly, bumping his shoulder into Phil’s._

 

_“Well, I kind of live in the middle of an island, so, I don’t know what you were expecting.”_

 

_“But, it’s Netflix…”_

 

The concept had been so hard for Phil to wrap his mind around. It really was starting to show how cut off from the rest of the world Dan had been for most of his life. He’d admitted to knowing what a cell phone was but never having seen one. He’d never used a computer or the internet a day in his life. The idea of social media had almost been too much for him to even comprehend. It was like he was living in the past with no clue what was even out there.  

 

Dan was standing in front of the mystery path Phil had noticed his first day there.

“Wanna come with me or hang around here?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll come.” Phil nodded. He tried to hide how eager he was, but there was no doubt he failed.

 

The two walked in silence for a while. Every so often Dan would glance over his shoulder and look at Phil like he wanted to say something before quietly turning around without a word. It was starting to make him nervous. He just wanted to grab Dan by the shoulder and tell him to spit it out already, but he knew that was a terrible idea.

“I’m sorry no one’s come yet.” Dan broke the silence, slowing his steps so he was walking in pace with Phil. “This island is cursed, I think. The thing your boat crashed into? So many boats wreck into that every year. You’re not the first and probably won’t be the last person to end up on this island. The current pulls in this direction.”

 

Phil wasn’t sure what his reaction to that should be. It was slightly a relief to hear that people had been pulled off this island before, but, if that were the case…

“Can I ask you something?”

 

Dan sighed, chuckling lowly, before he nodded.

“Yeah, but I might not answer.”

 

“If people have washed up here before and left, why didn’t you go with them?”

 

There was something Phil had noticed about Dan right off the bat. He wore his emotions of his sleeve. He made no effort to hide what he was feeling at all, or maybe he just didn’t know how, but he was a very easy person to read. So, it came as no surprise that Phil could read the anxiety on his face immediately.

 

“I’m scared to.” He admitted in a voice so low that Phil barely caught it, like the words could have just been blown away with the breeze.

 

“Why are-“

 

“Here we are!” Dan interrupted, shoving Phil in front of him.

 

The sight before Phil looked like it came straight off a movie screen, causing the question to fall from his lips silently. Dan stood off to the side, watching as Phil took in the small lagoon in front of them.

 

It was beautiful. Compared to the ocean, the water in front of him was still and surrounded by lush overgrowth that seemed unnaturally green. The bank in front of it was covered with pure white sand that almost glowed in the sunlight.

“Pretty, right?” Dan broke him out of his stupor, not hesitating to slosh right into the water. It rippled around him, sparkling against the spots of sun. Dan dipped his head underwater, shaking his hair when he came back to the top. Phil couldn’t help but watch the beads of water run down his chest.

 

_Yeah, you are._

 

“Pretty? It’s beautiful!”

 

“Well? What are you waiting for then?”

 

The rest of the day felt like a dream. Dan had practically dragged him around the water, showing him things with an excitement that Phil had never seen him display before. They stayed in the water almost all day, laughing and nearly drowning each other so many times that Phil lost count. It was almost perfect. If the situation had been different, Phil might have been able to forget he was stranded on an island.

 

The sun was setting as they both collapsed back against the sand. The trees made way for a perfect view of the sky and Dan had already begun pointing out constellations. Phil wasn’t looking. He was too busy staring at Dan. He had so many questions and now seemed like the worst time to ask them. His staring didn’t go unnoticed. Dan’s head flopped to the side, sand sticking to his curls and the side of his face.

 

“My parents left me here.” He blurted out so suddenly that Phil almost gasped. “I mean, I get it. I really do. But it happened and that’s why I’m still here.”

 

Phil quickly moved to prop himself up on his elbow, looking down towards where Dan lay. His eyes were wide, lips slightly parted. All the questions that had built up over the past few days were threatening to spill out before Dan pushed a finger against his lips.

 

“Just… Let me explain before you ask.” He tapped the side of Phil’s head lightly with his finger, a faint smile gracing his lips. “Trust me, I know you have a million questions up there.”

 

Dan sighed, letting his eyes fall shut. The beat of silence before he starting talking was almost painful.

 

“My parents liked this kind of thing. Exploring and finding new stuff. It was like their weird hobby. Supposedly, there were these caves at the bottom of the ocean, right? And, they were filled with all sorts of mysteries that my parents jumped on the moment they heard about it. I was a kid, so what did I know? They always brought me and my brother along, so this was nothing new.

So, the day of the trip, the boat wrecked into that same thing yours did – told you, people hit it all the time. I don’t remember much of what happened next, I just remember waking up here. Then we never left.”

 

The distant sound of seagulls interrupted the story, causing Dan to look away and Phil to follow his gaze. They both stayed in a comfortable silence for a while, Phil listening while Dan tried to calm his erratic breathing. Eventually, he inhaled sharply, before blurting out the rest of the story so fast that Phil almost missed it.

 

“I’ll skip the details, but eventually someone else got stuck out here. Luckily for them, someone knew they were gone and came to get them… and everyone in my family except me. I have no idea where I was or what I was doing. I just know I came back and they were gone. They left a bloody note, Phil. _A note._ You’re going to leave your kid on an island after being there for years with nothing but a note?!”

 

Somewhere in the middle of talking, Dan had sat up. His fingers were clenched into the sand before he wound back his fist and punched a rock behind them. The crack that followed sent a chill down Phil’s spine. He immediately grabbed Dan’s wrist and pulled it to his chest.

 

“Stop…” He whispered, looking down at the blood running between Dan’s fingers. “Please.”

 

“Sorry… I hate talking about. I get all emotional.”

The moonlight illuminated the tears rolling down Dan’s face. It made Phil’s chest feel tight just from the sight of it.

 

“We made a life here, Phil. It wasn’t great, but it was ours and then they just left the second they had a chance. No turning back…Not even for me.”

 

Phil tugged him into his arms and that was all it took before Dan broke down into a fit of sobs that broke Phil’s heart a million times over. He ran his fingers through his hair, shushing him softly, until his sobs turned into nothing more than silence. Dan didn’t move his head from Phil’s chest and Phil didn’t stop caressing his hair. They stayed like that until they both dozed off, lazily entangled with each other on the sand.

 

* * *

 

They didn’t talk about it.

They walked back towards the treehouses the next morning silently, their fingers intertwined.

That’s how they spent most of the day. Silently exchanging gentle touches, fingers carding through each other’s hair. It was the small acts of comfort they both desperately needed but were too quiet to ask for. Somehow, they just knew.

 

Phil had dozed off, his back pressed against Dan’s chest. The rise and fall of his chest was relaxed, only growing more so the longer Dan let his fingers press into the tense muscles of his shoulders. He all but whined when Dan stopped, gently shaking him awake.

 

“I told you.”

 

“Huh?” Phil sleepily looked around, the trees and ocean blurring together into a blue green blob that Phil could barely make out.

 

“I told you someone would come for you.”  

 

* * *

 

If Phil could only bring one thing to a deserted island, he still wasn’t sure what it would be. It definitely wouldn't be a bag of Haribo or a Stephen King novel.  


But, if he could leave a deserted island with one thing? Oh, if he could leave a deserted island with one thing, it wouldn’t be a thing at all. It would be a who and it would be Dan.

**Author's Note:**

> the ending is intentionally ambiguous. interpret it however you want to.


End file.
